Elena Bellantoni's 'I Miss' Project on Il Crepaccio Instagram Show

For International Women's Day on March 8, 2019, artist Elena Bellantoni launched 'I Miss,' a project on Il Crepaccio Instagram Show. The work critiques the objectification of young girls in beauty pageants, playing on the verb 'to miss' to suggest a denied childhood. Bellantoni, who often explores the ambiguity of language, previously created a similar work in 2018 titled 'The Highlighter,' presented at Una Vetrina in Rome. Curated by Caroline Corbetta, Il Crepaccio began as a physical street-level window space at Via Lazzaro Palazzi 19 in Milan's Porta Venezia district, running from 2012 to 2016. After the restaurant hosting it changed management, Corbetta closed the project and later created an archive website documenting collaborations with over 130 artists. In November 2017, she launched Il Crepaccio Instagram Show, inviting artists to create site-specific mini solo shows using five posts of original images. Hans Ulrich Obrist called it 'the Kunsthalle of the future.' The project is inspired by Seth Siegelaub's 1968 Xerox Book, which asked artists like Sol LeWitt and Richard Serra to create photocopiable works. Corbetta emphasizes the show is non-commercial, aiming to foster dialogue and promote young Italian artists. Bellantoni's 'I Miss' presents a fictional beauty contest, highlighting how mothers often drive their daughters' participation in such competitions, reflecting a system based on the seduction of appearance.